Steps to Hitting a Baseball or Softball

You don’t need to be a hitting expert to teach your kids to hit

Whether you’re a parent, who wants a simple step-by-step method for teaching your kids to hit, or a “Little League” coach seeking basic practice drills, you can use the following roadmap.

DRILL 1: 10 POINT SYSTEM CHECK

Our 10 Point System Check trains a foundation is for successful fastball hitting. After ten repetitions of this step-by-step drill, your kids learn for themselves how to check their body is in the correct batting stance position.

DRILL 2: BALANCE BALL SIDE TOSS

Once your kids have grasped the concept of setting up in a relaxed and balanced lower half, it’s time to start hitting the ball.

Balance Ball Side Toss is designed to train balance, load and swing path. As mentioned, teaching your kids to make contact with the baseball for the first time, we recommend you keep it simple.

DRILL 3: THREE-STEP POWER SWING

Now that your kids have grasped the concept of setting up in their batting stance, gaining confidence hitting the ball, and keeping their head down; it’s time to mix in the rotation.

Imagine it’s still in between your legs. Place your weight on the inside balls of your feet.

Relax your body.

Squeeze the ball.

Front knee inward.

Rotate.

DRILL 4: STAYING THROUGH THE BALL

Now that your kids have practiced swinging on the Balance Ball using two-handed finish, generating the swing from the hips; the next step is to train extension. The next step is to use a trail-hand/top-hand finish. The lead/bottom-hand hand is vital for “power contact” away from your body, especially with the low and outside pitch.

Stay back and remain balanced, by keeping your head in the middle of your legs; maintaining your center of gravity.

Keep your head down all the way through the swing.

DRILL 5: HIGH BALL SIDE TOSS

Once your kids have successfully practiced swinging with the lead hand only, and are staying through the baseball, next, is to improve top hand mechanics; critical for contact closer to your body.

It’s vital that your kids develop good hitting habits early in their swing development. The sooner your kids learn how to keep their hands inside the baseball the more successful they’ll enjoy.

Training with a long swing; with your elbows far away from your body is a difficult habit to break. The Laser Strap helps to “stay connected” throughout your swing.

TIPS

1: KEEP IT SIMPLE

With so many components making up a baseball swing, information overload is common when first learning how to hit. Therefore, teaching kids the necessary steps, it’s vital drills, mechanics and especially instruction is simple. Another simple method, “clear your mind and open your eyes,” to unlock your subconscious mind; enabling your fast reflexes to take over.

2: WORK ON YOUR APPROACH

Practice hitting line drives back up the middle and to the opposite field, good things will happen. The opposite field hitting approach helps to “stay closed,” “stay back,” and “keep your head on the ball.”

3: TIMING

Minimize swing movement reducing the chance of a pitcher to disrupt your timing and rhythm. In the bullpen, as a pitcher is warming up work on your “load and timing.” Begin your load the same time a pitcher breaks the ball from his glove. Akin to a punch, the first movement is a slight rotation with the hips before accelerating forward. Begin your load by raising your front foot, turning your knee inward.

4: STRIDE

Keep your batting stride “short and quiet,” the longer and higher your batting stride correlates to a reduction in your contact consistency. You can “speed-up” or “slow-down” the perception of velocity; a rushed stride adds “perceived velocity” to a fastball. Alternatively, a slow and deliberate stride reduces “perceived velocity.”

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